The present invention relates generally to the fabrication of tiled structures, particularly vertical tiled structures such as include but are not limited to tiled bathroom and kitchen walls, partitions, doors, drawer fronts, and the like, and relates more particularly to the mounting of accessories on such tiled structures, such as include but are not limited to seats, shelves, other horizontal supports, trays (such as soap trays and dishes), baskets, bars (such a towel bars), rings (such as towel rings), hooks, hangers, knobs, pulls, artwork, and other accessory elements which project outwardly from the tiled structure.
As used herein, the term “tile” is intended to have a broad inclusive meaning as encompassing any and all forms of stone, ceramic, clay, concrete, cement, polymeric, and composite materials, both natural and synthetic, and including those currently known and hereafter developed or discovered, suitable for use in tile veneer applications, such as tiled walls. Tile veneer walls are commonly used in both residential and commercial bathrooms and kitchens to provide a decorative but also sturdy water-resistant wall surface. Basically, tile walls are constructed of a structural substrate, typically a cement board, and/or a sand cement wire lathe composition, or another similarly strong and porous material, to which pieces of tile (which may be in any of numerous shapes and sizes) are adhesively secured as a veneer via an adhesive mortar, commonly a so-called thin-set mortar. The tile pieces are usually spaced apart a uniform distance and the wall is typically finished by applying a cementitious grout material to fill the inter-tile spaces.
In many tile wall installations, it is desirable and commonplace to mount various accessories to the outer wall surface for both functional and decorative purposes. By way of example but without limitation, such accessories in common bathroom, kitchen and like wet and/or working areas may include seats, other horizontal supports such as shelves, trays, baskets, support bars, support rings, hooks, hangers, knobs, pulls, artwork, and other elements or components adapted for various support or storage functions. As used herein, the term “accessories” is therefore also intended to have a broad inclusive meaning encompassing any and all of the foregoing types of accessories, and others not mentioned, both currently known and hereafter developed or discovered.
These types of elements or components are typically installed in one of two ways. In some cases, the component or elements may be formed of a tile material in a configuration compatible to that of the tiles used for the wall veneer so as to be suitable to be bonded via the adhesive mortar in the same manner as the tiles themselves. This manner of installation is commonly used only for light-duty accessories which will support only lightweight items without significant stress on the accessory, e.g., a soap dish or tray. Even so, these accessories may still be at risk of breakage or undesired removal from the wall if heavier objects are placed on the accessory or if undue manual force is exerted against the accessory. In other cases, particularly for components and elements made of non-tile materials, such accessories are commonly mounted by screws or like fasteners drilled or otherwise penetrated into the wall, typically through both the tile veneer and into or through the underlying substrate. This manner of mounting, if performed successfully, provides a relatively stronger structural support for the accessory, but there is a substantial risk of breakage or damage to the tile veneer and/or weakening of the structure of the substrate, and furthermore risks water infiltration into the wall through the openings that are necessarily formed. Penetration of a tiled wall structure also risks damage to in-wall systems such as electrical wiring, plumbing, or the like.
There is therefore an unsatisfied need in the relevant industry for a means of securing accessories of all types, but particularly wall accessories intended for load-bearing support purposes, with a high level of structural strength but without requiring that the tile veneer or the underlying wall structure be penetrated to accomplish mounting of the accessories.
In addition to the traditional uses of tiles as a veneer for wall surfaces, tiles of differing types are coming into increased use in other non-traditional architectural and related applications, and may be found as a functional or decorative covering for other structures ranging from doors, partitions, drawer fronts, to free-standing artistic structures. Several reasons exist which have limited the expansion of the use of tile to such non-traditional applications. In many of such applications, a substrate in the conventional form of a cement board or other common tile backer board is not present and not desirable or even reasonably possible, but other structural elements may be present to serve as a substrate. In other non-traditional applications, there may be no suitable structural element capable of serving as a substrate to which tile may be adhered.
Hence, there is also an unsatisfied need for a means of mounting tile as a veneer or covering in non-traditional architectural, artistic and other applications in which a traditional tile substrate is not present or not possible.